Waze seating in the control room: Enacting the data bricolage in urban traffic management in Santiago de Chile

Abstract

This study examines Waze’s role in Santiago de Chile’s traffic management, emphasising its use in control rooms. Using ethnographic methods, including observations and interviews, the research demonstrates how analysts employ formal and informal data, with Waze playing a central role, in their operational decision-making. The findings illustrate the dual role of Waze: as a tool for enhancing on-the-spot traffic management and as a digital mapping platform that potentially blurs the lines between public interests and private digital platforms. This study contributes to the discussion on smart and platform urbanism by illustrating the dynamic use of digital mapping platforms. It calls for a critical examination of third-party platform partnerships, including Google and Waze, to interrogate the dynamics of digital mapping platforms in urban traffic management and the broader implications in urban governance.